Local businesses have been marketing their goods and services on Charlotte radio since March 18, 1922. That's when the Federal Radio Commission granted a license to the Southern Radio Corporation with the randomly assigned call sign, WBT.

From studios located in the Realty Building located at the corner of Trade and Tryon, WBT began broadcasting music from phonograph records for two hours each day. The station's early broadcasts were heard by about 22,000 people using hand-built radio receivers.

Who could have guessed that 102 years later, advertising on Charlotte radio would still be the best advertising option for all types of retailers and business owners.

Nowadays, according to Nielsen, Charlotte radio reaches 1,983,988 adult consumers. This reach is significantly higher than all other advertising options including local TV, cable, social media, streaming video, online audio, and newspapers.

Reach, according to Nielsen, is the audience metric most responsible for driving the success of an advertising campaign. Only the message itself carries more sway.

Local business owners have depended on Charlotte radio to market their goods and services since WBT, the city's first radio station, went on air in 1922. Despite the advent of new media and technologies since then, advertising on local radio stations is still the best way for the area's 92,427 small business owners to create and maintain customers.

Here are five facts every business owner should know about advertising on Charlotte radio in 2022.

Despite an abundance of media options, Charlotte radio reaches the most consumers every week. 

According to Nielsen, every week 1.3 million adults tune in to their favorite Charlotte stations. This is more than watch local TV stations, cable, or streaming video. It is more than browse social media. It is more than listen to streaming audio services or podcasts. It is more than read local newspapers.

Not all listening to Charlotte radio happens on car radios, table-top radios, or boom boxes. Instead, local consumers also use their smartphones, computers, and tablets as a way to connect to their favorite local stations.

Neilsen finds that 23.4% of all consumers who listen to a Charlotte radio station over the air will, at some point during the month, also connect to a local station via the internet. As a matter of fact, during a typical hour, Nielsen data suggests that 8.5% of a station's total audience is listening on a device other than a traditional receiver.